21 Apr 2025

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Spotlight

Spotlight: Your one-stop hub for the latest stories, breaking news, and must-know updates. Stay informed with a curated mix of top headlines and featured reports.

Who Really Controls Bitcoin? Inside the Centralization of Mining in 2025

Who Really Controls Bitcoin? Inside the Centralization of Mining in 2025

In 2025, over 95% of Bitcoin blocks are mined by the six largest pools. No, this isn’t the result of a hack or technical failure—it’s the product of years of creeping centralization.

Vlad Vovk
a16z Pours $55M into LayerZero with Tokens Locked for 3 Years

a16z Pours $55M into LayerZero with Tokens Locked for 3 Years

Andreessen Horowitz has taken a $55M position in LayerZero with a 3-year token lockup. The token’s price rose 10% on the heels of the news.

Dmytro Psevdonimenko
Circle Brings Trustless Refunds to USDC With New Onchain Protocol

Circle Brings Trustless Refunds to USDC With New Onchain Protocol

Refund Protocol marks a new chapter for USDC: a trust-minimized mechanism where users can dispute payments, trigger refunds, and rely on arbiters — without ever relinquishing token custody.

Vlad Vovk
Ripple’s $1.25B Target Hidden Road Wins FINRA License

Ripple’s $1.25B Target Hidden Road Wins FINRA License

Hidden Road, nearing acquisition by Ripple, has locked in its U.S. broker-dealer license—opening the door to expanded institutional fixed-income services.

Dmytro Psevdonimenko
1 Bitcoin Bounty: Project Eleven Challenges Quantum World to Break BTC Key

1 Bitcoin Bounty: Project Eleven Challenges Quantum World to Break BTC Key

Quantum research company Project Eleven has launched the Q-Day Prize, a competition offering 1 BTC to anyone who can crack an ECC key. This is the same encryption used to protect the Bitcoin network.

Vlad Vovk
Slovenia Plans to Tax Crypto Profits at 25% by 2026

Slovenia Plans to Tax Crypto Profits at 25% by 2026

A new proposal from Slovenia’s Ministry of Finance could see crypto investors paying a quarter of their earnings in tax starting in 2026.

Anton Kryshtal
Fed Signals Cool the Crypto Surge: Bitcoin Hits a Wall at $85K

Fed Signals Cool the Crypto Surge: Bitcoin Hits a Wall at $85K

The latest Fed comments, rising inflation fears, and macro uncertainty are putting the brakes on Bitcoin’s breakout attempt above $85,000.

Anton Kryshtal
A16z Calls on SEC to Revise RIA Custody Framework for Crypto Assets

A16z Calls on SEC to Revise RIA Custody Framework for Crypto Assets

Venture capital firm a16z has submitted a proposal urging the SEC to revise its crypto custody rules for registered investment advisers (RIAs).

Vlad Vovk
Bitcoin Price Takes a Hit Following Jerome Powell’s Hawkish Remarks

Bitcoin Price Takes a Hit Following Jerome Powell’s Hawkish Remarks

Bitcoin dropped after Fed Chair Jerome Powell highlighted rising inflation pressures driven by the tariff war. Investors now expect the Fed to hold off on cutting interest rates.

Dmytro Psevdonimenko
Powell Softens Stance: Banks Get Green Light on Crypto Engagement

Powell Softens Stance: Banks Get Green Light on Crypto Engagement

Fed Chair Jerome Powell, speaking at the Economic Club of Chicago, pledged to reduce crypto restrictions on banks and backed new laws for stablecoins.

Dmytro Psevdonimenko
Ripple and SEC Enter 60-Day Legal Hiatus to Explore Settlement Options

Ripple and SEC Enter 60-Day Legal Hiatus to Explore Settlement Options

The prolonged legal dispute between Ripple and the SEC takes a breather, as both parties agree to a 60-day pause to negotiate a potential settlement.

Anton Kryshtal
Athens Exchange Group and Mysten Labs Build Next-Gen IPO Blockchain on Sui

Athens Exchange Group and Mysten Labs Build Next-Gen IPO Blockchain on Sui

Athens Exchange Group (ATHEX) is teaming up with Sui creators Mysten Labs to create a secure, blockchain-powered IPO platform—fusing transparency with advanced privacy tech.

Anton Kryshtal
Bitcoin Core 29.0 Drops: What’s New in the Latest Major Release

Bitcoin Core 29.0 Drops: What’s New in the Latest Major Release

Bitcoin Core 29.0 is now live. The latest version of the official Bitcoin client includes a CMake-based build system, enhanced RPCs, and updates to the mempool and network stack.

Vlad Vovk
Oklahoma Drops Proposal to Hold Bitcoin in State Reserves

Oklahoma Drops Proposal to Hold Bitcoin in State Reserves

The plan to establish a Bitcoin reserve in Oklahoma has been shot down by the state Senate. But the story doesn’t end there—other states have crypto ambitions of their own.

Vlad Vovk
ZKsync Hit by Hack—$5M in Airdrop Tokens Stolen

ZKsync Hit by Hack—$5M in Airdrop Tokens Stolen

A malicious breach of ZKsync’s admin credentials led to a $5M token theft and a steep drop in ZK’s price. The protocol confirms no end-user funds were impacted.

Dmytro Psevdonimenko
Strive Presses Intuit to Reevaluate Crypto Policy and Adopt Bitcoin Reserve

Strive Presses Intuit to Reevaluate Crypto Policy and Adopt Bitcoin Reserve

Strive slammed Intuit’s crypto account bans and called on the fintech giant to build a bitcoin reserve as a safety net for the digital age.

Anton Kryshtal
Two Tokens, One Crash: Tracing the ACT and IP

Two Tokens, One Crash: Tracing the ACT and IP

On April 15, ACT and IP tokens dropped 27% and 25% nearly simultaneously, despite a stable market and no negative updates from either project. The recent OM crash sparked fresh concerns about a deeper systemic crisis.

Vlad Vovk
Solana in March: A Cooldown or the Calm Before the Surge?

Solana in March: A Cooldown or the Calm Before the Surge?

March brought a frost to Solana’s ecosystem. From decentralized exchanges to dApp REV, declines swept through—leaving only stablecoins untouched. Is this correction territory, or are we seeing the start of a structural cooldown?

Vlad Vovk
Bitcoin Breaks $85,000 Amid Market Stability and Investor Optimism

Bitcoin Breaks $85,000 Amid Market Stability and Investor Optimism

BTC holds steady above $85,000 as falling U.S. bond yields drive renewed interest in risk assets.

Anton Kryshtal
Trump Administration to Launch Fed Chair Search in Fall 2025

Trump Administration to Launch Fed Chair Search in Fall 2025

The effort to replace Jerome Powell kicking off this fall—a potential pivot in the Federal Reserve’s future, and in U.S. monetary policy.

Anton Kryshtal
SEC Pushes Ethereum ETF Staking Decision to June

SEC Pushes Ethereum ETF Staking Decision to June

The SEC has delayed its decision on staking and in-kind redemptions (using crypto assets instead of cash) for crypto ETFs until June 2025.

Dmytro Psevdonimenko
Up to 25% Fee for Bitcoin? CashApp’s New Charges Leave Users Fuming

Up to 25% Fee for Bitcoin? CashApp’s New Charges Leave Users Fuming

CashApp’s revised fee structure blindsides customers as smaller BTC transactions now carry sky-high 25% charges.

Anton Kryshtal
ETH Slips Against SOL but Bets on Its Upcoming Upgrade

ETH Slips Against SOL but Bets on Its Upcoming Upgrade

The SOL/ETH pair reached a new high as Ethereum’s native token loses ground to Solana. What are the top rivals betting on next?

Dmytro Psevdonimenko
Strategy Expands Bitcoin Holdings with $285M Purchase of 3,459 BTC

Strategy Expands Bitcoin Holdings with $285M Purchase of 3,459 BTC

With 3,459 new BTC added to its books, Strategy’s holdings climb to 531,644 BTC—deepening its long-term crypto bet.

Anton Kryshtal
Who Killed $OM? Inside the Sudden Collapse of MANTRA

Who Killed $OM? Inside the Sudden Collapse of MANTRA

The OM token from Mantra dropped 92% in an hour (from $6 to $0.37). We analyzed on-chain data, the founder’s comments, and ZachXBT’s reaction to understand what triggered the OM crash.

Vlad Vovk
Zora Network Reviewed: A Testnet Guide

Zora Network Reviewed: A Testnet Guide

Are sky-high Ethereum fees getting you down? The folks at Zora have come up with an alternative, introducing their Layer 2 solution with lower transaction fees. This article will walk you through how to get involved with the project and earn some rewards.